Science links: Oil dispersant lingered in Gulf long after well was capped

View full sizeNew studies have found oil dispersant lingered in the Gulf long after the Deepwater Horizon well was capped. U.S. Air Force Master. Sgt Paul Tatar, a C-130 Hercules aircraft spray aircraft maintainer, from the 910th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron at Youngstown-Warren Air Reserve Station, Ohio, refills a C-130 with oil-dispersing chemicals May 9, 2010, on the runway of the Stennis airport on the Mississippi Gulf Coast. (U.S. Air Force photo/Tech. Sgt. Prentice Colter)

Science news from around the Web:

Dispersants used on the Gulf Oil Spill lingered in the ocean for several months, and may have had a negative impact on deepwater sealife. National Geographic reports a new study found chemicals pumped directly into the oil flowing out of the Deepwater Horizon wellhead got stuck at about 3,000 feet, and lingered for at least three months after the well was capped. The overall impact isn't known, but preliminary studies suggest the dispersant severely affected deepwater coral.

Researchers at the University of Alberta in Canada have dated the femur of a plant-eating dinosaur dated to about 64.8 million years ago, according to ScienceDaily. That wouldn't necessarily be news, except the hadrosaur lived about 700,000 years after the commonly-accepted date of the dinosaurs' disappearance. Scientists hypothesize the large meteorite impact believed to have killed the dinosaurs might not have entirely wiped out the vegetation plant-eating species depended on.

Egypt's antiquities minister says the nation's vast treasures of ancient artifacts are safe, despite the current instability in that country, according to The Associated Press. Looting threatened antiquities early on, but the military has secured most museums and digs and recovered items looted from a site near the Suez Canal.

A new study finds moderate walking by older people encouraged growth in the part of the brain controlling memory. Scientific American reports a group of adults between the ages of 55 and 80 who walked about 40 minutes a day three times a week did better on memory and spatial tests than a control group that was asked to stretch. The study suggests exercise may have positive benefits for memory, no matter what age.

Skip over this next item if you're squeamish: Space.com takes a look at the International Space Station's environmental control and life support system's water recycling plant. Since water is a precious commodity in space, the plant -- designed in Huntsville -- is designed to recover water from hand washing, brushing and (ahem) urination. (It's a great piece on resource conservation 226 miles above the Earth. Really.)

Before we get to the video: If you haven't already, check out the New York Times' great profile of the Kepler observatory, which promises to broaden our knowledge of exoplanets (one of our favoritetopics here). In honor of Egypt, here's a short video on the Step Pyramid of Djoser, the oldest pyramid in that country.